23 November 2023

Using an A4 organiser on a daily basis

Could increasing the size of your organiser and therefore using fewer pages reduce the weight of the organiser compared to the A5 organiser you have been carrying around all year? 

It might seem a bit of a bizarre suggestion, but think about it. 


Filofax A4.. I realise this isn't a popular or common size for a lot of our users, but I thought I would look in to the pros and cons of the size.
  • Big - yes but that might be an advantage if your hand writing is difficult to read on the smaller sizes As they are so big they will take up a lot more desk 'real estate' compared to an A5;
  • Paper commonly available, well in Europe that is;
  • Templates already in this size, I create my templates in A4 format and then reduce them to A5;
  • Limited selection of diaries and inserts, for some people this might be the 'show stopper'. However, all of the Philofaxy A5 diary inserts are created in A4 size, so these can easily be used;
  • Common hole spacing ISO838? The 4 holes are 8cm apart. Four hole punches are quite cheap;
  • Possibly thinner than an A5 so less bulky. If you are used to using a Week on Two pages inserts, then with the increase in page size you might easily be able to use Week on One page in A4 size;
  • Price wise they often come up on offer, so may be about the same price as an A5;
  • Lots of card slots! But I wouldn't suggest using one as a wallet!!
  • Not available in the US, mainly because of the paper size I suspect?
  • A lot of people in business carry A4 folders around, so an A4 Filofax won't look too out of place.
I have just the one A4 Filofax, an A4 Classic. I have used it a few times, but I find it a bit too big to leave open on my desk.




Our friend and fellow A4 user Neil aka 'Flatability' has recently shared an excellent video about his A4 Lyndhurst Zip organiser: 


Also Graham has also done an A4 Filofax Domino review here. 


You will find plenty of other videos about A4 Filofax organisers here.

Are men more likely to use an A4 Filofax? 

If you have used an A4 already we are of course interested to hear your views in the comments.

3 comments:

  1. For me, the critical advantage a Filofax has over other types of paper-based system is the ability to move contents at varying speeds, eg my References or Contacts tend to stay put for years, even decades, Diary rotates on a fixed schedule, other sections and projects come and go according to their function. I'm not sure I'd get enough out of A4 size to make what's also quite a "wide" fill of inserts worth it, although I can definitely see some people preferring that laptop-matching dimensional aesthetic.

    Is there much variation of ring size diameter? I could see buying one to host specific projects best done on A4 if there were some truly slimline options.

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  2. VDS also do a4 if you email them. Just saying 😉

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  3. I would have liked an A4 as a young student. It looks useful for keeping tables of things to compare and memorise.

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